


shine a little light

by moondanse



Series: drabbles for dreamies [3]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Beach Volleyball, Flirting, M/M, summer lovin' had me a blaaaast, that's it that's the fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-19
Updated: 2020-03-19
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:28:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23220025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moondanse/pseuds/moondanse
Summary: hey, if you’re not gay, my friend thinks you’re cute. here’s her number: xxx-xxxxand if you are gay, here’s mine: xxx-xxxx- donghyuck
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Lee Jeno
Series: drabbles for dreamies [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1632316
Comments: 22
Kudos: 376





	shine a little light

**Author's Note:**

> had this sitting in my docs unfinished so i'm taking advantage of the quarantine to post lots of content!!
> 
> apparently i am physically incapable of keeping these actual drabble length. sorry about that
> 
> based on [this](https://i.imgur.com/9mlREsH.png)!

“Don’t look now, but I think you’ve got an admirer,” Renjun says, quirking his head.

Jeno immediately lifts himself up on his elbows. He's lying on a towel in the sand, sun kissing his exposed skin, and he’s feeling good. He peeks behind him in the most unsubtle way. First-day-of-summer-break confidence is a real thing, and it seeps from his pores, making him reckless. 

He catches the eye of a boy sitting further down the beach and smiles. 

“Dude, I said _don’t._ Idiot.”

“Shh,” Jeno reaches out and clasps a hand around Renjun’s arm. His gaze is still fixed on the other boy - he’s got a mischievous sort of smile that reaches his eyes and warm, tan skin. Jeno feels a blush rise to his cheeks. “Do you really think so?”

Renjun rolls his eyes. “I mean, yeah,” he says. “Anyone with eyes can see she’s totally been checking you out for the last ten minutes.”

“Eh..?”

It takes Jeno a good fifteen seconds to notice the girl sitting next to Sunshine Boy (as he’s dubbed him) and another five to realize he’s made an incorrect assumption. The embarrassment settles in quickly and his eyes dart from the boy, to the girl, to Renjun, to the pattern on his swim trunks. _Oh._

“Oh.”

Renjun seems to notice the disappointment in Jeno’s single word answer and narrows his eyes. “Oh? That’s it? Aren’t you going to go talk to her?”

Jeno looks up, eyes wide in a panic. “I—what? No. She’s… she’s not really my type.”

There’s a beat of silence, then laughter. 

“Oh, I get it,” Renjun smirks. His eyes flicker towards Sunshine Boy. “You’re all flustered because of the guy, not the girl. Interesting. Wasn’t expecting that, though I can't say I blame you. He's cute.”

Impossibly, Jeno’s blush deepens. “Shut up,” he nearly squeaks. It’s not like he’s hiding it or anything; he’s just never explored his sexuality much. Renjun likely assumed he was straight, since he’s never stated otherwise. Hell, Jeno has barely even thought about it. All he knows is that Renjun is right. Sunshine Boy is very, _very_ cute. 

“Is it… weird?” Jeno asks carefully, sparing another glance over at the duo. The girl catches his eye and waves. He ducks his head. 

Sunshine Boy laughs, and the sound carries through the air and straight to Jeno’s heart. 

Renjun raises a brow. “You mean you checking out a guy? Jeno, I'm literally one of the gayest dudes in our class. I definitely don’t think it’s weird. Surprising maybe, but not weird.” He shrugs. “You should go say hi!”

The thought makes Jeno’s insides churn uncomfortably. 

“Um, no thanks,” he says. “I’d rather drown myself in the ocean.”

A third voice joins the conversation: “Ohh, are we drowning Jeno? What happened this time?” The sun is abruptly blocked out by a shadow as Jeno’s older sister, Yeeun, stands over him. She carelessly tosses a drink at her brother, who clumsily catches it. 

“Here you go,” Yeeun says, taking a seat on their makeshift picnic blanket of towels and handing Renjun his banana milk. 

“Thanks, Yen,” Renjun greets her as he pops it open. “Jeno is being dramatic because he has a crush on that cute guy over there.” He motions towards the stranger, and Yeeun turns to look. It’s so blatant that Jeno actually rolls over onto his stomach and tries to smother himself in the sand. 

“Oh my god stop, they definitely know we’re talking about them,” he begs. All of his previous confidence melts away to embarrassment.

“So? Go say hi! It’s vacation, perfect time for a summer fling.”

“I don’t want a fling! I’m perfectly happy being single...”

“Literally yesterday you were complaining about going to Jaemin’s party alone. Maybe you’d have a date if you weren’t such a huge wuss,” Renjun says with a shrug. 

Jeno wants to throw sand in his best friend’s face, but all the energy has been sapped from him. Besides, he’s right. If he wasn’t such a coward, he’d have walked up to Sunshine Boy and introduced himself already. He might have done it anyway if it weren’t for the girl sitting next to him. Coward or not, she made things complicated.

“How am I supposed to flirt with him when his friend is the one making eyes at me? That seems insensitive,” Jeno whines. “Why does this have to happen to me? Life is so unfair.”

“Oh my god, hot boy problems. So tragic,” Renjun deadpans. 

“Awwww, my poor baby,” Yeeun croons simultaneously. 

Jeno makes a mental note to get new friends. 

“He _was_ smiling at me earlier…” he says uneasily, shifting back into a sitting position. He peeks over and sees the two strangers laughing together about something. His teenage brain immediately concludes that they must be laughing at him. He reddens. “Maybe I’ll just wait for them to come over here.”

Renjun frowns and takes another sip of his banana milk. “You’re gonna wait for a move that might not even happen? God, you’re so boring.”

Jeno shrugs. “Never stopped you from hanging out with me before.”

  
  


\- ☼ -

  
  


Less than ten minutes later, a ball rolls into Jeno’s leg. Sunshine Boy trots over to retrieve it, his friend trailing closely behind. 

“Sorry about that!” the boy says. Jeno stares up at him and he has to actively stop himself from gawking. The boy is even cuter up close - and his voice is high pitched and melodic. Literally music to his ears. Jeno gulps. “Bad serve.”

Behind them is a beach volleyball net. Jeno connects the dots as quickly as his hormone-rattled brain is capable. 

“Oh, no problem,” he manages to respond coherently. _Nice. Aced it._

“I'm Donghyuck,” the boy says with a smile, tucking the volleyball against his hip. “And this is Yerim.” The girl smiles and pushes a strand of dirty blonde hair behind her ear. She's cute, too, though Jeno doesn’t feel the same tug as he does towards Donghyuck. 

“Hi,” she says. 

“Hi,” Jeno responds. “I’m Jeno.”

Donghyuck grins again. “Hey Jeno,” he says. Then he glances at Renjun and Yeeun. “Do you guys want to play with us? One-on-one gets kind of boring after a while.”

Jeno’s heart rate picks up and he nods. 

“Unbelievable,” Renjun mutters, barely audible. Jeno thinks he hears Yeeun mumble something about “hot boy privilege.” He decidedly ignores them both. 

“That sounds fun, yeah,” Jeno says. He doesn’t know the first thing about beach volleyball, but how hard can it be? He’s athletic; he’ll figure it out. 

“Cool. We’re just over here,” Donghyuck motions and starts walking back towards the net. Yerim lingers for a moment, sending Jeno a shy smile. 

“Be my partner?” she asks, a light blush dusting her tanned cheeks. “It’s 5 to 4 right now and I could use some help getting revenge on Hyuck.”

“Sure,” Jeno squeaks. He takes Yerim’s outstretched hand and pulls himself up to his feet. 

There's an awkward few seconds where they’re standing really close, and Yerim is clearly trying not to stare at his bare chest, and Jeno wishes the sand would open up and swallow him whole. But then Yeeun skips over to join them and flicks him on the arm, and it passes. 

“Full disclosure,” Jeno says, clearing his throat. “I’ve never played beach volleyball before.”

Yerim laughs, and it’s a nice laugh. Not quite as nice as Donghyuck’s, but still nice. 

“Don’t worry,” she says. Jeno watches in mild fascination as she ties her hair up in a high ponytail, a look of seriousness settling on her face. “I’ll do most of the work. Just don’t let the ball hit the ground, okay?”

Jeno can hear Yeeun and Donghyuck talking and laughing about something a few feet away. He gulps, suddenly way more nervous than he probably needs to be. 

“Okay,” he says. “I’ll do my best not to let you down!”

Yerim blushes. From his spot on the towels, Renjun rolls his eyes. 

  
  


\- ☼ -

  
  


It’s Yeeun and Donghyuck versus Yerim and Jeno. Renjun is sitting out, because he “has no interest in sweating” and “doesn’t believe in exerting physical effort while on vacation.” Instead he opts to sip his banana milk and watch his best friend fumble, both literally and figuratively. Now _that’s_ prime entertainment. 

Jeno quickly learns that Yerim and Donghyuck are not messing around. 

They’re both _good_ at this, and it’s clear by the intensity of their gameplay that they’re rather competitive, too. Jeno is both intimidated and impressed by the way they expertly send the ball flying over the net in a perfect arch. Even Yeeun, who played a year of volleyball for her junior high school, is doing well. Jeno feels like a complete fool as he stumbles aimlessly next to Yerim. 

“Whoops— heads!”

Jeno is too busy lamenting his lack of volleyball prowess (and being distracted by the way Donghyuck’s shirt rides up as he sets the ball) to hear Donghyuck calling out. By the time he realizes what’s happening, it’s too late. 

The volleyball hits him in the head with a resounding _smack._ He squeaks and stumbles to the ground in shock. The others are at his side in seconds. 

“Shit. Are you okay? I'm so sorry,” Donghyuck says, leaning over him and biting his lip nervously. He's so close… Jeno can see each individual eyelash adorning his face. Donghyuck’s got moles, too; he tries to count them but can’t quite remember how. 

He must have a concussion, because he suddenly feels all woozy and lightheaded. He groans. 

“This wouldn’t have happened if we were playing soccer,” Jeno whines, laying back in the sand. “I promise I’m not always this incompetent.”

Yeeun lets out a sigh of relief; a whining Jeno means an alive Jeno. 

“Jen, you good?” she asks. “I’ll get you some water. Maybe take a rest for now. Renjun can always tap in if we need a fourth.”

Jeno simply nods. He knows full well that Renjun will not tap in, but he isn’t about to argue with his sister. He's smarter than that. 

After a few moments of lying in the sand regretting all of his life choices, Jeno cracks open an eye. Both Yerim and Donghyuck are still hovering around him, though they've now chosen to sit. They aren’t saying anything, but Jeno can tell he’s ruined the mood of the game. He blushes in embarrassment. 

“Sorry,” he says. “I know you wanted to win.”

Yerim turns to him, surprised. “Oh, don’t worry about it,” she says. “I’ll have plenty more opportunities to kick Donghyuck’s ass in the future.”

Donghyuck scoffs. “Go ahead and try, Kim! Anyway, Jeno, it’s totally fine. I’m the one who nearly killed you… are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah,” Jeno nods. The action makes his head swirl a bit, but he does his best to ignore it. “You’re really good at volleyball.”

Melodic laughter fills the space between them. Jeno’s heart swells; he could listen to that laugh all day. 

“Thanks,” Donghyuck grins. Jeno could look at that smile all day, too. “You’re really shitty at it.”

“Hey,” he pouts, pride wounded even though he knows it’s true. Donghyuck laughs again, and this time Jeno takes note of how his eyes crinkle up with mirth as he does. He's certain he’s never seen a cuter boy in his life. He is doomed. 

“That’s okay,” Donghyuck responds, his tone playful. “It would be unfair if you were actually any good. You’re not allowed to be devastatingly handsome _and_ a volleyball champ; God had to leave _something_ for the rest of us.”

Jeno feels his cheeks heat up in complete and utter embarrassment. Did Donghyuck just call him _devastatingly handsome?_ He gulps. 

“Oh, I’m not—I mean, but you’re—you’re really pretty! Um. That is! Both of you are… pretty,” Jeno stumbles over his words, unsure at this point what he’s even trying to say. Before he can gauge the reactions of his two new friends, Yeeun returns. 

“Here’s some water. Drink it so you don’t pass out. Renjun’s gone to see if anyone has some ice for your head,” she explains, handing him a water bottle. Jeno gratefully accepts it and takes a big swig. 

“Thanks, noona,” he says. He is genuinely touched by her concern - it isn’t often that she babies him like this, outside of joking around. 

“Of course. Now move off the court so we can keep playing. The game was just getting interesting.”

...Ah, and she’s back to normal. Jeno sighs and crawls over to where their stuff still lies in the sand. He curls up in a little ball like a kitten, making a nest on top of the towels, and waits for the pounding in his head (and his heart) to stop. 

  
  


\- ☼ -

  
  


When it comes time to leave, Donghyuck approaches Jeno with a sly smile. 

“Nice hanging out with you today,” he says. “Sorry for almost killing you.”

Jeno can’t help it - he blushes. 

“Yeah, I mean, no problem,” he splutters. He wants to say more, but the words will not form in his brain. Curse you, hormones, for making him even more of a dumbass than he already is. 

The smile on Donghyuck’s face grows softer, more shy, and he slips a piece of paper into Jeno’s hand. “See you around,” he says. And then he’s gone, bounding up the beach and climbing into Yerim’s car. 

It’s a full ten seconds before Jeno can recover enough to look at the paper. 

_hey, if you’re not gay, my friend thinks you’re cute. here’s her number: xxx-xxxx  
_ _and if you are gay, here’s mine: xxx-xxxx_

_\- donghyuck_

The note causes Jeno’s entire body to flush red with heat. He’s not sure if he’s gay or bi or whatever, but he certainly knows which number he’s happier to have. It’s just a matter of finding the courage to do something with it. 

  
  


\- ☼ -

  
  


**jeno**

hi… donghyuck? it’s jeno, from the beach

  
  


**donghyuck**

HA… i knew it!!  
lee donghyuck: 1, kim yerim: 0  
hi :~)

  
  


**jeno**

um. hi?

  
  


**donghyuck**

sorry, just pleased u texted me and not yerim lol  
unless u texted her too, then i’m an idiot and u can hit me in the head with a volleyball

  
  


**jeno**

too soon

  
  


**donghyuck**

lol

  
  


**jeno**

anyway i didn’t text her yet  
she’s not the one i’m interested in :x

  
  


**donghyuck**

oh~?

  
  


**jeno**

i mean she’s cool, i def wanna be friends, but ur like...  
wow this is embarrassing  
ur more than friend material if u catch my drift

  
  


**donghyuck**

oh, i def do  
take me on a date? i’m free this weekend!

  
  


**jeno**

i’d love to… will yerim be mad…?

  
  


**donghyuck**

nah. we have like the same exact taste in dudes, she’s used to the competition.  
besides she got the last one so it’s only fair!!

  
  


**jeno**

um… well alright then. 

  
  


**donghyuck**

^___^  
i can’t wait! i promise not to almost murder you this time lol

  
  


**jeno**

gee thanks :P

  
  


**donghyuck**

<33333

  
  


\- ☼ -

  
  


Across town, Donghyuck sits with a smug grin on his face.

“See, I told you he was into dudes,” he gloats. From the other side of the couch, Yerim huffs. She throws a pillow at his face.

“Shut up.”

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> pushing the [jenyen](https://i.imgur.com/b7IRj6r.jpg) [agenda](https://i.imgur.com/5d1xsJN.jpg)
> 
> thank you for reading! kudos and comments are greatly appreciated! <3 ([twitter](https://twitter.com/dreamrunmp3))


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